2026-09-10 • 5 min read • Author: Arina Öström
On 12 August 2026 the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation — PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — started to apply across the European Union. It replaces the Packaging Directive from 1994. Because it is a regulation and not a directive, it applies directly in every member state, including Sweden, without national transposition.
The PPWR covers all packaging placed on the EU market, regardless of material or country of origin: consumer packaging, transport packaging, bags, films, cartons and industrial packaging such as big bags.
Some of the most discussed requirements — recyclability grades and recycled content — only arrive in 2030. But several obligations have applied since 12 August 2026 without a transition period: - **Conformity.** Only packaging that meets the PPWR requirements may be placed on the market. This duty applies not only to manufacturers but also to importers and distributors. - **Documentation.** Packaging must be backed by technical documentation and a declaration of conformity. The documentation must be kept for five years for single-use packaging and ten years for reusable packaging. - **Substances.** Limits on heavy metals in packaging apply, and PFAS above set thresholds are banned in food-contact packaging. - **Identification.** Manufacturers and importers must provide their contact details, including digital contact information, on the packaging or in accompanying documents.
Most of the design requirements are phased in step by step: harmonised sorting labels, recyclability classes, minimum recycled content in plastic packaging, reuse targets and restrictions on certain packaging formats. Most of these apply from 2028–2030, with further steps up to 2040.
Two groups of Ukrainian companies are directly affected: - **Packaging manufacturers** — producers of big bags, woven bags, films, cartons and other industrial packaging — that sell to EU customers. Their customers now need conformity documentation and declarations to be allowed to place the packaging on the market. - **Every exporter of packaged goods.** Whether the product is furniture, food or building materials, its packaging is now part of what the importer must be able to document.
Because the importer carries the responsibility, Swedish buyers will increasingly ask suppliers for PPWR documentation before signing. For a Ukrainian producer, having it ready in English is a real competitive advantage — many suppliers outside the EU are not there yet.
- **Swedish importers:** review the packaging of goods you import from outside the EU and request technical documentation and declarations of conformity from suppliers. - **Ukrainian packaging producers:** prepare material specifications, test results for heavy metals and, where relevant, PFAS, and a declaration of conformity in English. - **Ukrainian exporters of packaged goods:** check with your packaging suppliers which documents they can provide, before your EU buyer asks.
Preparing export documentation for the Swedish market is part of our export consulting. [Read more](/services/).
- [CMS: PPWR — New EU packaging law now applicable (12 August 2026)](https://cms.law/en/aut/publication/ppwr-new-eu-packaging-law-now-applicable-what-manufacturers-and-retailers-need-to-know) - [Gerlach: PPWR 2026 — What EU importers need to know about packaging obligations](https://gerlach-customs.com/news/news-and-trends/ppwr-2026-packaging-rules-eu-importers/)